William Shatner wants a Star Trek musical

Space, the final frontier - curtain raises, revealing William Shatner in a sequinned Star Trek jersey

These are the voyages of the star ship Enterprise - a troupe of dancers dressed in various alien guises shimmy on from stage left.

A cane 'beams' into Shatner's hand. He winks.

Ludicrous as it may sound, it's an idea the 84-year-old Shatner is actually quite keen on, such is his eagerness to organise a celebration of the original show's 50th birthday.

"I’m attempting to sell a 50th anniversary show, but so far I’ve had very little luck," Shatner told the Associated Press. "Maybe because Paramount’s going to do their own – but I don’t know how they can do their own without me. I’ve never been contacted.

"I’ve been actively trying to do a 50th anniversary show... We had a big company say: ‘What about a musical or a music variety show?’ That got some traction – but nothing’s come of it yet."